Business owners, employers, employees and hiring managers who need the tools to join the LinkedIn and Twitter conversation are invited to attend Build Your Professional Online Profile, a session focused on personal branding via social media.

The workshop is May 21 from 9am-noon at the Cedar House Sports Hotel, 10918 Brockway Road in Truckee.

The seminar is sponsored by the North Lake Tahoe and Truckee Donner Chambers of Commerce in partnership with the Sierra Human Resources Association.

Participants will learn customer relationship management and search tools, as well as participate in a live Twitter demonstration.

Register by May 20 and pay online. The cost is $39 for SHRA and SHRM members, $49 for chamber members, $59 for non-members.

By Dale Kasler, Sacramento Bee

RENO — The signs of decay linger on Virginia Street, the main casino corridor in “The Biggest Little City in the World.”

Pawn shops and cut-rate motels line up alongside the high-end hotel towers. The strip is still pocked with shuttered casinos, victims of the recession and burgeoning competition from Northern California’s Indian tribes.

Reno casinos are seeing an uptick in business and are reinvesting in their product. Photo/LTN file

But signs of comeback – slow and steady – are evident as well. Construction crews are turning the old Fitzgeralds casino, closed since 2008, into the outdoor-themed Whitney Peak Hotel. A small slot-machine parlor called Siri’s Casino soon will open next door.

In nearby Sparks, the Grand Sierra Resort is pouring $30 million into new amenities, including a chic $15 million nightclub. The new owners of the venerable John Ascuaga’s Nugget are spending $50 million on a honky-tonk entertainment venue, a new sports-betting operation and other upgrades. Closer to the California border, Boomtown Casino is putting $20 million into an overhaul.

Even among casino executives, the optimism is growing. Many say they think Reno has withstood the worst that the California tribes can dish out. With the overall economy improving, combined casino revenue in Washoe County, including the North Shore of Lake Tahoe, rose almost 4 percent last year. That was the first increase since 2006.

Ken Adams, a Reno gambling consultant, said California’s casinos remain a potent threat to Northern Nevada. That’s especially true at Tahoe, which is more at the mercy of the weather than Reno and has taken a bigger hit in recent years. In the main casino corridor at the South Shore, gambling revenue has fallen one-third in the past decade and, unlike Reno, hasn’t bottomed out yet. Hotel occupancy at the South Shore, on both sides of the state line, also has dropped by one-third since 2003, although overnight stays have improved slightly the past two years.

Read the whole story

With snow being non-existent, some U.S. Forest Service recreation facilities in the Lake Tahoe Basin will open earlier than usual.

Inspiration Point, Logan Shoals, Chimney Beach, and Secret Harbor will open April 21. Sawmill Pond and the Sandpit OHV areas open May 1. Baldwin Beach, and Nevada Beach and Campground open May 9.

Kaspian, Meeks Bay, Bayview, and Fallen Leaf campgrounds and Kaspian and Meeks Bay beaches open May 16. Luther Pass Campground opens May 25, and Blackwood Canyon and Watson Lake open June 1.

William Kent Campground will be closed for construction during the 2014 operating season, which runs approximately May through October. The beach and day use William Kent area will be closed for portions of the season.

The Taylor Creek Visitor Center, Tallac Historic Site, and Kiva picnic area open for Memorial Day weekend.

Forest roads generally open between mid-May and June 1. For specific dates, go online.

By Joanne Marchetta

In this time of nature’s awakening as winter once again turns to spring, another important milestone is upon us. This year marks the 45th anniversary of the formation of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency as a unique bi-state agency in the United States focused on regional environmental goals. Perhaps it is this unique jurisdiction that has at times made the agency a crucible for fiery debate and discourse over how to protect one of our nation’s most treasured natural resources. Despite the heat of the crucible, significant environmental progress continues to emerge.

Joanne Marchetta

Last week, as if in cadence with the turning of the season, a federal judge ruled in the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency’s favor in litigation on the 2012 Lake Tahoe Regional Plan update. In his decision, the judge stated that we had done our homework and that enacting the new plan was based on sound science. Now, we can pivot to join forces with the community to advance the next environmental leap forward and to rebuild bridges with stakeholders who questioned progressive policy direction.

The decision, although important, is not the only cause of renewal. A broad coalition of people willing to step in and lead the Tahoe basin forward formed out of the process to update the Regional Plan. The spirit of cooperation from environmental groups, business leaders, and citizens that rose out of the plan’s formation is still going strong and much-needed improvements to Lake Tahoe’s regulatory framework have not stopped since its passage. Homeowners are getting a break for installing stormwater infiltration around their properties and incentives are in place for increased restoration and more walkable, bikeable town centers. Updating the plan was an important milestone since it had not been thoroughly updated since its original adoption more than a quarter century ago.

Other signs of progress and renewal are inescapable around the Lake. TRPA shares its 45th anniversary this year with the first Earth Day. The awakening of our stewardship of the environment coincides with our desire to work across political lines to develop innovative environmental policies. Over the span of decades, we were able to stop runaway growth and curb sources of pollution. Today, two-thirds of Lake Tahoe’s environmental targets have been achieved or are showing improvement. We know we have more to do and, like all of you, we are spurred onward by the principles of stewardship embodied in every Earth Day.

In the next environmental leap forward, TRPA, researchers, and other water quality agencies will hone in on policies to improve near shore water quality as well as deep lake clarity. We will continue to control invasive species and maintain one of the most successful watercraft inspection programs in the nation. We will continue supporting efforts to reduce forest fuels and encouraging property owners to complete defensible space measures around their homes and raise the safety of our communities.

In each of these efforts, property owners, residents and visitors all have a part to play. The cooperation, personal action, and constructive compromise that will continue Lake Tahoe on a path to sustainability does not come from a rule book. It comes from all of you. It is my sincere hope that nature’s awakening this spring enlivens and spurs you to find out what you can do to help restore Lake Tahoe and to take part.

Joanne Marchetta is executive director of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.

U.S. Forest Service fuels management crews expect to continue prescribed fire operations around the Lake Tahoe Basin this week.

It’s likely operations will continue throughout April, weather permitting. During the next few weeks, burning may take place on Spooner Summit, in the Luther Pass Campground off of Highway 89, and on the west side of Highway 89near Tahoma. Locations could vary due to changing conditions.

Forest Service staff will post road signs around the areas affected by the prescribed fire, send email notifications, and update the local fire information line at 530.543.2600, ext. 6. To receive prescribed fire notifications, send an email to pa_ltbmu@fs.fed.us.

By Scott Smith, AP

CHOWCHILLA — The scarcity of irrigation water in drought-stricken California has created such a demand for well drilling services that Central Valley farmer Bob Smittcamp is taking matters into his own hands.

He’s buying a drilling rig for $1 million to make certain he has enough water this summer for thousands of acres of fruit and vegetable crops.

“It’s like an insurance policy,” said Smittcamp, who knows two other farmers doing the same thing. “You have to do something to protect your investment.”

With California in a third dry year, well drilling is booming across the nation’s most productive agricultural region, and some drilling companies are booked for months or a year. In some counties, requests for permits to dig new wells have soared, more than doubling over this time last year.

Farmers expect to get only a fraction — if any — of the water they need from vast government-controlled systems of canals and reservoirs interlacing the state. In an effort to make up the difference, they are drilling hundreds of feet deep to tap underground water supplies.

Smittcamp said a licensed driller he often hires approached him, saying the demand for drillers is so high that Smittcamp needs his own full-scale drilling rig.

Smittcamp, whose Wawona Packing Co. farms thousands of acres, said he has written a $150,000 check as a deposit and the rest is due upon delivery of the $1 million rig, which he expects to happen soon.

He estimates that he spends $4,000 an acre tending his peach and grape crops before the harvest. If a well were to run dry mid-season with nobody to call, Smittcamp said he could lose that investment — and perhaps entire orchards or vineyards.

When the rig isn’t being used on Smittcamp’s land, he said the driller will put it to work on neighboring farms to recoup the investment.

The boom driving farmers to such lengths is a result of drought and a steadily improving economy, said John Hofer, an underground water consultant and executive director of the California Groundwater Association. Hofer said his consulting firm started receiving more calls last year, and that’s when he predicted the rising demand for drillers would follow.

“I kept telling my friends and associates to look out, that it was going to get crazy, and it has,” he said. “Drilling is up big-time.”

The figures prove it. In Fresno County, which leads the nation in agricultural production, officials issued 256 permits to dig new wells in the first three months of 2014, more than twice the number compared to the same time last year. That includes all types of water wells used for agriculture and homes.

In Tulare County, the number of permits issued to dig farm wells alone has tripled to 245. In Kern County, farmers took out 63 new well permits in the first quarter of the year, more than quadrupling last year’s number.

The price to dig a well depends on the depth and ground composition, drillers say, costing a farmer anywhere from $50,000 to $500,000 before installing the pumps.

Tapping groundwater has other costs. The water that was deposited underground naturally over thousands of years isn’t being replaced as rapidly as it’s being drawn, causing the ground in the Central Valley to sink in a process called subsidence. In California, there is little if any regulation of groundwater pumping by the state.

In most years, Central Valley farmers draw one-third of their water from wells, while the remaining two-thirds comes from California’s State Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project. Most farmers expect to receive no water from either this summer, and that ratio is dramatically shifting to underground water supplies, which could eventually run dry.

Matt Rottman, president of Rottman Drilling Co. based in Lancaster, said his mid-sized firm of three rigs is backlogged 15 months. For a recent job near Bakersfield, his crew dug a 1,840-foot well. Three wells coming up later this year in the Central Valley will hit depths of 2,000 feet.

Farmers calling Rottman tell him they’re in a pinch. They don’t expect any water from the state and federal water projects this summer, and Rottman said the market price of buying irrigation water elsewhere has shot up three or four times.

“They’re shut off,” he said. “They’ll be looking at crop damage if they don’t get wells in.”

Mike Maggiora, owner of Gillroy-based Maggiora Bros. Drilling Inc. and president of the California Groundwater Association, said he suspects that some drillers are backlogged because farmers are calling several firms to see who responds first. He’s booked for the next three months.

His eight crews work 24 hours a day for weeks drilling each well, which Maggiora said is a nice change from two years ago when the economy was bad and work was hard to find.

Now, Maggiora said he has trouble finding workers willing to put in the grueling hours. He also fears today’s boom will cause a run on supplies, such as the steel casings used to keep the walls from caving in. So he’s ordering them by the truckload.

Smittcamp said he worries that so much drilling could cause underground water supplies to run dry in little more than a decade. He blames politicians for failing to give farmers any other options, leaving them to fend for themselves.

This summer, Smittcamp said he has to come up with two-thirds of his water that would normally come from the state and federal water deliveries.

“This year, we get none out of the projects,” he said. “So we’ve got to pump the whole enchilada.”

The first Sweet Sippin’ Sunday of the season is May 4 in Genoa.

On that particular day participants will also get into one of the Genoa Cowboy Festival events with a Sippin’ ticket.

The cost is $12.

The sipping is from 1-4pm at participating businesses in Genoa.

For more info, call 775.309.3133.

Sue Novasel

Publisher’s note: Lake Tahoe News asked the six El Dorado County supervisor candidates a series of questions. All are the same except for one that is specific to each candidate. The responses are being run in the order they were received by LTN. One candidate chose not to answer the questions.

Name: Sue Novasel

Age: 58

Occupation: Business owner – Tahoe Dream Events (wedding and event planning), wedding and event coordinator

Education: High school – graduate of Salinas High School – Salinas; AA degree from Lake Tahoe Community College; bachelor degree – University of Nevada, Reno. Other certifications: A+ Certified (IT) and public notary.

What elected, civic, nonprofit boards or groups are or have you been affiliated with and in what capacity?: Current: 11 years – school board member (president in 2008; clerk for three years) – Lake Tahoe Unified School District; president – Soroptimist International of South Lake Tahoe; vice president – Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care; secretary – South Lake Tahoe Wedding & Honeymoon Association; board member – Tahoe Chamber of Commerce; board member – Barton Foundation Community Advisory Committee.

Past: Chair – Meyers Community Roundtable Committee; member – Meyers Community Plan Team; member of the 56 Acre (Lakeview Commons) Community Advisory Committee and TRPA’s Pathway 2007; president – Lake Tahoe Community College Foundation; president – South Tahoe Swim Team; president – Temple Bat Yam Board of Directors

Traffic is horrible on Fridays and Sundays throughout the county. Will you commit to not voting for any big subdivisions unless there is a plan to widen Highway 50? Why or why not?: No. Traffic affected by “big subdivisions” is commuter traffic Monday through Friday, not weekend traffic. In fact, HOV lanes that have been built to address commuter traffic are to some extent a Friday afternoon benefit for South Lake Tahoe weekend traffic, as our tourism customers will generally have two or more persons in their car, and qualify to use them. On Sundays, the traffic flow on Highway 50 west of Placerville seems to move reasonably well.

Heavy traffic that generally occurs Fridays and Sundays is mainly through Placerville, from the Y to Meyers (especially during chain-up requirements and holidays), the Sierra-at-Tahoe intersection, and at the end of passing lanes in the American River Canyon. Those areas are not likely to be widened, but it is possible that the traffic could be alleviated by exploring operational changes. For example, stoplights in Placerville might be changed during the weekend so as to be timed with the direction traffic is flowing – east on Friday, west on Sunday. A designated chain-up lane and rest area in Meyers is a need that we addressed in the Meyers Community Plan that I hope will be accomplished in the future. This would allow travelers to move to the side of the road, creating better local access. Also, a traffic alert system (similar to those in large cities) installed throughout the city of South Lake Tahoe, Meyers and along the West Slope could warn motorists of impending traffic jams, helping to mitigate the log-jam of cars waiting for hours during peak periods and after serious accidents.

As to approval or not of a subdivision proposal, the responsible thing to do is to look at each individual situation as opposed to a blanket yes or no position. For examples: Will the new development bring needed housing to El Dorado County? Will it increase our local government revenues without raising taxes? Will it attract large employers in clean industries that will provide more local jobs? Will it increase retail opportunities for residents? Each proposal should be studied for its overall impact to our county.

What is your position on a proposed November initiative to control growth?: Fundamentally, I oppose ballot box planning, as it is counterproductive to consensus-based setting of community direction. It is far better to work together identifying problems, goals, and objectives and work out a plan that solves as many of them as possible, as what we have done in Meyers.

It is my understanding that there are possibly four proposed November initiatives which affect the West Slope of our county. If the measures are approved by county voters, there is little doubt that protracted litigation will ensue. If the last two decades of El Dorado County history are any guide, it will take many years to resolve and at considerable county legal expense. The county doesn’t have millions of dollars for court fights. The Board of Supervisors is the agency tasked with developing, adopting and implementing the General Plan. That’s one of their most important jobs, and I look forward to working with all stakeholders in guiding the future of the county. TRPA will still govern virtually all planning matters within the Tahoe Basin, with opportunities that the District V supervisor can directly affect since the county has a seat on TRPA’s Governing Board.

What are your thoughts of making Lake Tahoe its own county?: It is not economically or politically feasible. The concept was briefly studied around 1980. At that time, it was seen as marginally feasible, based on the El Dorado County portion of Lake Tahoe being a city-county, and getting unique city-county revenues, like San Francisco. In the years since, more Proposition 13 type statewide initiatives, plus diminished population, have made the economic prospects worse. Politically, it would have to be approved by majorities both here and on the West Slope, which I consider unlikely.

What entities would you not take money from?: I will not accept campaign contributions from any organization or business whose integrity is questionable, or anyone whose activities bring harm to District V or our quality of life, or threaten the safety and well-being of our children, neighborhoods, schools, or businesses. I expect to receive support from a wide variety of individuals and entities. Anyone providing financial support must understand that supporting my candidacy does not mean having the expectation of getting my vote on an issue.

What would you do to boost the economy?: The environmental restoration incentives developed by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency in its new Regional Plan must be encouraged and made to work. We should improve our recreational business relationships with West Slope recreation providers. The City-County Recreation Master Plan currently in the planning process must also be implemented, but would need voter approval to do so. We should continue support for the El Dorado County and Tahoe chambers of commerce. The newly organized El Dorado County Community Development Agency must be successful in removing barriers and facilitating business formation and expansion.

What is the No. 1 issue facing District 5 and how do you propose to resolve it?: Economic vitality is the most important issue. TRPA’s new Regional Plan update includes incentives and processes that can spur businesses to redevelop run-down properties or add new businesses to our communities while improving our environment. In addition, a huge issue in all of District V is the fire risk resulting from poor forest health. We must be sure we are organized for rapid response by CalFire, the U.S. Forest Service, and local fire agencies so that effective coordinated action by all can occur the instant a fire starts. Effective early action is critical to minimize the damage that occurs. Fire agencies did significant reorganization as a result of the Angora Fire. In addition, many regulatory obstacles to improved forest health and defensible space were removed or reduced as a result of the Angora Fire. We must be sure they stay that way.

Supervisors meet only once a year in Lake Tahoe. Do you believe this is fair representation? Why or why not?: I am convinced that once per year is all that is feasible, as the board also has to meet once per year in the other four districts (except for District III, where the county office is located). In addition, much of the county board business requires work with employees and should be conducted where the county’s main offices are located for feasibility.

Having said that, the duty of the District V supervisor is to be sure the maximum benefit for fair representation is achieved when a meeting is held in other districts. For our district, that includes joint meetings with the City Council where the city and county both present their major issues and discuss items where joint effort is needed. They should also take tours of city and county projects and major issue areas. Meeting with representatives of Tahoe basin agencies such as the school and utility districts, Tahoe Conservancy, U.S. Forest Service, and Lake Valley Fire District, their achievements, issues, and challenges can be understood by the entire Board of Supervisors.

Would you have voted for Red Hawk to be built and to divert Caltrans funds for interchanges? Those decisions are still negatively impacting the South Shore. Is there anything you would do to change the status quo?: To clarify, the Board of Supervisors never voted “for” Red Hawk, they voted to end the litigation that continued to obstruct it. By that point, state legislation and voter approved initiatives had created a situation where the construction of Red Hawk could not ultimately be stopped. In exchange for no longer obstructing it, the county received annual revenues to offset the facility’s impact upon county services. If by “status quo”, you mean the distribution and uses of funds that the county receives, then, yes, I believe there is a need to evaluate the extent to which District 5 benefits from those funds and whether District V is receiving benefits that were intended and/or promised under the agreements.

Would you support having more tax dollars from the county coming to the South Shore? Currently, more dollars leave the basin than come back.: I want to be sure that District V is getting its fair share and will fight to be sure it happens. However, I don’t know of any study or analysis showing that more dollars leave the basin than come back, and have doubts that this is correct. For example, the basin, with about 20 percent of the county population, has its own set of secondary offices for more general fund departments than any other district, plus is the only district having its own juvenile hall and jail facilities. Those facilities are located in the basin because they are needed so that basin residents have equal access to county services.

To address getting the facts on this issue, my first step would be to appoint a committee of knowledgeable local citizen volunteers to do a study of the county portion of taxes collected and compare them with the costs of the general fund services they fund.

The county and the city of South Lake Tahoe have a long history of not getting along. How would you propose to improve the relationship?: The two principal facets of the relationship are (1) staff to staff and (2) board to City Council. To improve staff relationships, I would have the principal counterpart positions – county chief administrative officer and city manager, county counsel and city attorney – meet after I have facilitated development of a discussion agenda, then meet on a regular basis thereafter.

To improve the elected officials relationship, I would meet periodically with the mayor, and with the mayor’s knowledge and approval, other members of the City Council.

These meetings would be in addition to being sure that my office did a very good job of setting up the annual “Board meets in South Lake Tahoe” meeting, as discussed previously. This would include setting joint meetings between City Council and county supervisors, taking tours of city and county projects with emphasis on major project areas, and meeting with representatives of other Tahoe basin agencies such as the TRPA, Tahoe Conservancy, Tahoe chambers, U.S. Forest Service and Lake Valley Fire District.

What is your vision for Meyers and how will you make it a reality?: I have lived in Meyers (Christmas Valley) for over 30 years. As a member of the original Meyers Community Plan team, I helped develop a plan for the future of Meyers. After nearly four years of work on the plan, we succeeded in having the power lines lining Highway 50 buried, thereby improving the scenic corridor of the area. We worked on other ideas to improve the corridor that included: adding a chain-up/rest area to help relieve Sunday congestion; creating a new “Welcome to Meyers” sign to give travelers a sense of arrival; using an incentive program to create new town centers; and adding design elements to give our community a rustic, alpine appearance.

The new Meyers plan is similar to our original plan. But there is still work to be done on the plan – there are differences that need to be discussed and either approved by our community or changed. Meetings need to include all stakeholders and be properly noticed so that the Meyers community can have a proper voice in planning the future of their community. The most important part of planning is implementation. I will make sure that the new Meyers Area Plan, along with all community plans throughout District V, have the ability to be implemented properly by having county staff available and willing to help our residents create the vision that they see for their communities.

Why should someone vote for you over someone else?: My varied experiences and over 35 years as a basin resident have given me a broad-ranging set of connections with community residents, and broad-ranging understanding of community issues. They have taught me that good decisions result from reaching out to get information from those affected; listening carefully more than talking; seeking win-win outcomes; and achieving the greatest good for those I represent. I will increase citizen involvement in decisions by increasing local community meetings and improving communication throughout all portions of District V. I have a demonstrated strong work ethic and the high energy demanded of a county supervisor. If elected, I will be your full time supervisor, fighting to be sure District V receives its fair share of county benefits based on the needs of its citizens, not proportionate finances.

You have been absent more than any Lake Tahoe Unified School District board member and that board meets once or twice a month. How can the public believe you will show up every day as a county supervisor?: In 2013, I missed three out of 20 meetings, while two other board members missed two, another one, and the other none. Already scheduled to miss one meeting while being out of town for two weeks, another special meeting was called when the district staff realized that actions to ensure the construction season staying on schedule had not been agendized for the meeting I was at. A poll of board members was taken, and while only three members could attend the special meeting, it was enough for a quorum – thereby causing me to miss two meetings. The other meeting I missed in 2013 was when I had the flu. I am a hard worker and have a serious work ethic. As county supervisor, I pledge to attend as many meetings as possible.

What do you do for fun?: I ski, hike, swim, mountain bike, kayak, golf and try to stay fit by going to the gym as much as possible. As a family, we travel and go to the beach on a warm summer afternoons. I also get a great deal of enjoyment out of giving back to our community by volunteering, especially at Lake Tahoe Wildlife Center where I help care for injured and orphaned wild animals and birds.

Tell us something about yourself that people might not know: Many people don’t know that I was an Olympic torch runner when it came through town in 1984 (on its way to the Summer Games in Los Angeles). I was the student representative to Lake Tahoe Community College’s board of trustees at the time and they asked me to represent the college by running the torch for the school. It was such a great honor that I decided to donate the torch back to the college and it still resides in their gym today.

To the community,

The future of the Barton Ranch brings sadness thinking that one of the last ranches will be torn down.

I must dispute a comment that Gary Midkiff says that he called the Lake Tahoe Historical Society and offered the buildings if we would remove them.

He said this was three or four years ago. I was president of the society from 2009-2011 and I knew nothing of this. Dick Young was president from 2006-2008 and was sites chairman before. If anyone called with such an offer, we would have been thrilled.

Possibly Mr. Midkiff called the El Dorado County Historical Society. They are in Placerville and have little interest in us.

Lynne Bajuk, Lake Tahoe Historical Society past president

David Turner and Chris Hernandez bike, golf, ski and wake surf — all on April 14 at Lake Tahoe. Photos/Provided

By Kathryn Reed

Lake Tahoe is well known for mountain biking, golfing, skiing and water sports.

What it isn’t well known for is being able to do all four sports in the same day. But then, what place is?

Two longtime South Shore locals could now be the poster men for all things outdoors at Lake Tahoe.

“We were thinking there are not too many places in the world, if any, you can do all those sports in one day,” David Turner told Lake Tahoe News.

The 42-year-old South Lake Tahoe resident with his 35-year-old brother-in-law Chris Hernandez of South Lake Tahoe started Monday by riding Coral Loop when it was about 40 degrees out. Then they played 18 holes at Lake Tahoe Golf Course, skied the face at Heavenly Mountain Resort still in their golf shirts, and then went wake surfing on Lake Tahoe.

“The coldest part of the day was climbing up Coral Loop. My hands were freezing compared to the lake at 57 degrees,” Hernandez told Lake Tahoe News.

The duo had been thinking about this quad-fecta for several weeks. It had to be just the right day to get in all four sports. Plus, time was running out as ski season is only going to last about another week in Tahoe.

April 14 became that special day.

For much of their outing they were the only ones re-creating – which added a special twist. No one else was mountain biking at that time or on the lake.

Because they were on a time schedule, they were playing golf as fast as they could. This meant passing some people.

The face was only open in the afternoon, so they had to time it just right. The three laps got them 4,800 vertical feet.

Then it was time to get into wetsuits for the wake surfing. This is like wakeboarding, but without bindings. Plus, the surfer is close enough to the boat to have a conversation with those on board.

“It was like an ice bath,” Hernandez said of the lake water. “It made our legs feel better. We were pretty toasted on the face. It was such a long mogul, bumped out run. Our legs were just noodles.” Plus, they had already had an active morning besides skiing.

Still, the two are ready for more. If conditions align themselves just so in another year, they are thinking of adding a fifth sport. But what sport, well, they aren’t saying.